Liberty @ Georgia Southern preview

FBC MORTGAGE CURE BOWL STORYLINES

1. A pair of teams with two combined bowl game appearances square off Dec. 21 in Orlando as Georgia Southern meets Liberty in the Cure Bowl. The Eagles are in the postseason for the second straight year, but just the third time in program history, and they are hoping to build off last season's buzzer-beating 23-21 bowl win over Eastern Michigan. Liberty, an independent which began playing in the FBS in 2018, has never appeared in a bowl game and also has never defeated Georgia Southern (0-3 all-time).

2. Georgia Southern was pounded by LSU 55-3 in the season opener and lost three of its first four games overall before capturing six of the last eight games. The Eagles, who have won at least seven games in four of their first six FBS seasons, rank eighth in the nation in average rushing yards per game (260.9). “Because Georgia Southern has such a rich history and tradition of winning, I know these guys want to go out the right way and leave their stamp on their legacies,” coach Chad Lunsford told reporters.

3. Liberty lost its first two games by a combined margin of 59-14 before rattling off five straight victories behind a defense that gave up 17 points or fewer in three of those outings. The push for a bowl berth earned a contract extension for coach Hugh Freeze, who was awarded a new multi-year deal on Dec. 10. "We are looking forward to a long relationship that will continue to make Liberty football mega-successful as envisioned for the program decades ago," Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. wrote on Twitter.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Georgia Southern -5

ABOUT LIBERTY (7-5): The Flames have a dynamic passing attack led by Stephen Calvert (26 touchdowns, five interceptions), who has 19 touchdowns and zero interceptions in Liberty's victories this season. Frankie Hickson and Joshua Mack have combined for 1,670 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, while Antonio Gandy-Golden is by far the team's top receiving threat with 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns. Jessie Lemonier has 8.5 sacks for a defense that has given up 44, 44, 21, 31, 55 and 28 points over the last six games.

ABOUT GEORGIA SOUTHERN (7-5): J.D. King is the top rusher for Georgia Southern with 776 yards, although he has not run for more than 31 on any of his 175 carries, but he does have 209 rushing yards and four scores in the last two outings. Shai Werts has only thrown 108 passes all season, but he owns a nice ratio of nine touchdowns and zero interceptions and also boasts five rushing scores on the year. Rashad Byrd is a leader on the defense with a team-high 79 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.



PREDICTION: Georgia Southern 31, Liberty 23